A True British Icon

With Sir David Attenborough turning 95 a few days ago, I was reminded of what a towering, ever-present figure the broadcaster and naturalist has been for millions of Britons over the last 50 years.

Like the Queen, it’s quite difficult for many of us to imagine a world without his reassuring presence.

As a youngster, I was first inspired to take an interest in the flora and fauna around me by Sir David’s infectious enthusiasm for the natural world.

Back in the early 1970s when he began making wildlife documentaries (having recently resigned from a top executive post at the BBC) he brought a refreshingly humble and engaging - yet implacably authoritative - approach to natural history programmes.

He set the standard which others have attempted to emulate ever since, and I was hooked. 

Displaying his hallmark modesty and natural charm, he was also light years ahead of his time in calling for greater protection of the species which call Earth their home. It was a message that resonated with me, in no small part due to the sincerity, kindness and humility with which Sir David delivered it.

I owe Sir David something else – my love of wildlife photography. I was fortunate to be introduced to photography at a young age, and it went on to become a lifelong hobby.

Discovering the joys (and frustrations!) of taking photos happened to coincide with my being enthralled by some of Sir David’s most iconic TV series (as a child of the '80s, Life on Earth and Wildlife on One are my era).

I recall many a happy summer’s evening, making my way down to a stream near to my childhood home with a borrowed camera slung over my shoulder.

I’d spend the next hour or two attempting to photograph a dragonfly hovering above the water, or a spider spinning its web - all the time imagining how Sir David would go about capturing the same scene, and what he’d tell us about it.

I also remember the feeling of excited anticipation that I got from developing the film myself in a darkroom (and usually the ensuing disappointment!).

Despite those early chequered results, however, I kept on taking photographs and gradually got better at it.

Years later, and with the finances to travel, I was able to visit some of those places which I had first seen on Sir David’s programmes.

I’ve been lucky to have travelled extensively across much of Africa and Asia, and this provided me with the opportunity to photograph the rare mountain gorillas of the Congo (which Sir David’s encounter with in 1978 remains one of TV’s most iconic moments), the ‘Big Five’ of the Serengeti, the orangutans of the Borneo rainforest, and a host of others.

But wherever I am, and whatever creature great or small I’m photographing, I still always have in the back of my mind “What would Sir David do?”

The term ‘icon’ is far too easily bandied about these days, but there are still a handful of individuals who genuinely deserve that moniker. With Sir David continuing to make inspiring wildlife programmes to this day, he is undoubtedly one of them.

I've included in this article a few of the wildlife shots I've taken during my recent travels. In a funny way though, it's the last one (below) snapped by my wife whilst we were on safari in South Africa in 2019 that's my favourite.

I can see in my face just how happy I am to be where I am, doing something that I love - and Sir David Attenborough takes a significant degree of credit for that.

Perhaps that call from National Geographic will still come!